Weed-exterminator.



Patented. M,y 19, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

BUDD SMITH, OF AUSTIN, MINNESOTA.

WEED-EXTERMINATO R.

SPEGIFIGATION f0rming pa.rt of Letters Patent N0. 728,312, dated. May 19,1903.

Applioa.tion filed J'u1y 21, 1902.

T0 allwhom zlt may concern:

Be ib known that I, BUDD SMITH, 0f Austin, Mower county, Minnesota have invented 0ertain new and useful Improvements in Weed- Exterminators, of which the following is a; specification.

My invention relates 130 appliancesffot destroying weeds and. n0xious grasses in thev fields; and the primamyobject 0f the iuven-, tion is '00 provide a, deviee capable of-2ittachmenb 130 any vehic1e 01 fatm implement, bat. 'particularly designed-for usewibh a mowing3 machine. v

A further object is to provide an exterminator adapted 130 be attached to the enttarbar 0f a mowing-maehine without in any way interfering with the movement of the knifeblade a.nd arranged 110 diseharge a eurrent of eleotaricity into the freshly-cut ends 0f the weed. 0r grass st&lks as the inaehine moves over the field.

Obher objects of th'e invenbion Will appear from the followingdetaailed de' scription.

The invenniox1 consists g'enerally-in various eonstruetions and cornbinations, all a.shere-.-

' inafter described, and partiqlarly pointed out in the claims.

In ohe acczompanying drawiugs, forming part of this speeificatior'x, Figure- 1 is a plan view of a mowerwith my"vvfeed exterminatr appliance arranged thereqn. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same with 'the eutter-bar..and eleetrodes in seetion. Fig. 3is a detail seetion 0f the cutter-bar an1d electrodes; and Fig. 4 is a. plan view '0fa portion of: the autter-bar, showing the m anner 0f eonnecting the electr'odes theret o and the adj ustable supports forthe electrodes- In 1Jhe drawings, 2 rep resents a mowingmachine 0f the ordinary type, from which f0]3 i clearness of description I h2w e or'n'ithed oh a; usual operating-levers. 3 represents the u sual knife)- 61 Gatter-bar, ha.ving the fingers 4and knife 5. Near the ends of the barI pro vide plates 6, sepured by bolts 7 110 the bar ahd}hving f0fked "ends 8 130 receive the e1ids of ba 'rs'-9, -ti1'at a;re pivot-- a1ly eonneeted to said fork6dends by pivot pins 10, which pass through holesin said forks and in the ends of said; bars. This pivotal connection of the bars permits them 110 osei1- Serial N0. 116,369. (N0 moc'ie1.)

la.te vertically and adjust .fohemselves t'o any 11110Y611I16SS 0f the ground 07er which the maehine is passing.

{ 1Land 12 re'present eleetrodes connecting iahe 1ba1s 9 and pievidedwibh turnedends 13, which, With theelectrod'es, are separated from the;barsl 9.-by suitable insulation 14. Bolts 15 pass through the ends 13 and. the insulaft;iorl and are adjusable within slotsl6 in the Joa1s 9 110 p"ermib the eleetrode's 130 be adjusted 130 vary 1she distanee between Ebern, according 130 the area 0f the patchesof weeds 0x grass final; it. is desired 120 exterminatae. Each electrode isprovided wih binding-posts 17 and 18, one representing the positive arid-the other the negaive pole of-the generator. The apparatus which I prefer to .pr0Vide-for g'enerating the electric eurrent consists 0f a dynamo'l9, mounted on the mowihg-machine frame ;uidpreferab1y eonnected and driven from a small engine 20, though, if p'repfgtred, the dynamo may be geared to and driveh from bhe wheels of the mower. The brushes 21 and. 22 am connected by wires 23 and. 24 With the binding-posts 17 and 18, and I prefer t0 place a.switch 25 in the circ'uit toenable the npei*ator .js o'shutoff the current whenever deelectrodes, am in cput acls theci1;cuitiwill "As longasth6 eleetrodes are simultaneously ineo ntaet with the weeds,the eup1ent will flow doWn through the stalks,killing the roots and completely destroying the grbwth 0f weeds and grasses that tend t uchoke and kill onts Ehe other grasses in 'he field. By using the device in conneoion with a mowing-machine knife and closing the cireuib through the freshly-oufi ends of the stalks 0x stems I am able to use a current of much lower vol- IOO tage tha.n has heretofore been eonsidered neoessary for deviees of this kind. Of conrse bhe electrodes will discharge a current; into all the freshly-c ut1 stalks that: rnay come in coulaact therewih; but as the weeds and grasses that cause injury 110 the fie1d usually grow in patches in will seldom happen that any grass will be killed other than the kind that the 0p erator desires to exterminate.

The apparatus being attached t0 a mowingmachine without in anyway interfering winh its operation ean be utilized 01 not, as desired, and if used will not 110 any appreciable ext-0:113 increase the dmfl: 0f the machine 01 the labor of rnnning it. Where the patches 0f weeds and grass are sma1l and seattered, t;he operator will adjnst Ehe electrodes 130 shorten the distance between tahern and. insure the closing of lahe eircuit as be elecbrodes pass over the ends 0f Lhe freshly-cut stalks.

I am aware that; deviees 0f this kind have been usedheretofore f01 exterminating weeds; but it has been necessary t0 provide a eurrent; of high volbage 130 insure the closing 0f the circuit1 through Ehe uncut stalks or stems, and in some instanees a dampening device has been provided t0 travel ahead of the electrodes t10 moisten the stalks and make them better couduetors. In my improved apparatus, however, the stalks are cuts 01T by the knife of the rn0wer and it; is only necessary to provide a eurrent; of sufficiently high voltage to destroy the roots of Ehe weeds, the sap from the freshly-eut; ends of the sta1ks forming a good eonduetor for the electric (311I16I1'0.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a mowing-ma- China cutater-bar and knife, of eleetrodes pivotally eonnected therewitah and insulated therefrom, said electrodes being arranged one in advance 0f I;he other in 1she rear of ehe knife, an electric generator, and suitable counections provided betzween said generanor and said electrodes.

2. The counbinatzion, With a eutater-bar, cf the bars 9 hinged thereon am]. in the rear thereof, elecbrodes 11 and 12 secured to said bars 9 and insulated therefrom, an eleetric generanor, and wires provided with a snitable switch and connecting the brushes of said generator wibh said electrodes.

3. In a mowing-machine, the combination, With a cutt-er-bar and knife, 0f electrodes a1- ranged 0ne in front of the other in the real 0f said knife and insnlated therefrorn and from eaeh other, and adapted 110 contact With the freshly-eut ends of stems and stalks after the knife has passed over them, and an elec trie generator having it's poles connected respeetively with said electrodes.

In witaness whereof I have hereunto sei; my band this 16th day of July, 1902.

BUDD SMITH.

In presenee of-- R. E. SBZEPHERD, S. J. BLUMENTHAL. 

